In the
Septuagint (The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), the third book of
the Pentateuch is called "Levitikon" ("pertaining to the Levites"),
which is an
adjective that modifies the word "book." The Levites were the tribe in
Israel from which the
priests and others prominent in the worship services were chosen, in place of the
firstborn sons of all the tribes (Num. 3:45). Leviticus plays a very important
and essential role
in the Pentateuch. In the same way that it is important to understand the book
of Exodus before reading Leviticus, it seems just as important
to read the book of Leviticus before reading the books of
Numbers and Deuteronomy and the rest of the Old Testament for
that matter. The purpose of the book of Leviticus is to make a
clear focus on the holiness of God, and a clear distinction on
the sinfulness of man in the light of God's holiness. God
provides the necessary steps that man needs to take to restore
the great fellowship which was lost between God and man as a
result of the terrible defilement of sin. God explains the laws
that make this restoration possible, in a general sense and also
a very specific sense. These laws are intended to govern the
whole life of the people chosen to serve God. Because of the
focus on God's holiness and how to approach Him the book of
Leviticus is clearly the most legalistic book in the entire Old
Testament. The core message of God's laws is seen in the
absolute statement "Ye shall be holy,
for I the Lord your God am holy." Yet the great climax of this book can be
clearly seen in Leviticus 16 where God gives the instructions
for making atonement for sin on the Great Day of Atonement (Yom
Kippur). When the high priest entered into the holy of holies
and sprinkled the blood upon the Mercy Seat the sins of the
entire nation for the previous year were forgiven by God. The mercy which God
showed forth on the day of atonement so foreshadows the work of Christ that the
Leviticus 16
has been called "the most beautiful flower of all Messianic symbolism."

In addition to the moral, ceremonial, and civil laws set
forth in the book of Leviticus, there are also some historical
sections, but these too are centered around the priesthood.
These historical portions include the consecration of
the priests in Leviticus 8 and 9, the sin and punishment of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10),
and the stoning of the blasphemer (Leviticus 24:10 ff). it is interesting that
the Levites are not mentioned except one time very briefly and
incidental (Leviticus 25:32 ff).

ILLUSTRATION

The Tabernacle of
Moses

The ancient Tabernacle of
Moses illustration with the curtain fence, the bronze
laver, the bronze altar, the holy place, and the badger
skin covering. (Click to Enlarge)

The book may be divided as follows :

Outline of the Book of Leviticus

1 ) Laws concerning Sacrifice (1-7). In this section five
types of offerings are discussed: burnt offerings, meal
offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings.
This is filled out by a discussion of the sin offering as it is
to be observed by various classes of individuals.

2 ) An historical section featuring the consecration of the
priests (8-9) and the sin of Nadab and Abihu (ch. 10).

3 ) A section on laws of purification from ceremonial
uncleanness (11-15). These furnish instructions as to the
appropriate sacrifices and ordinances for ridding oneself of
impurity.

4) The Day of Atonement (ch. 16).

5 ) Laws dealing with the conduct of God's people (17-20).
These include various religious and ethical laws designed to
accent the separation between Israel and the heathen nations.

6) Laws concerning the holiness of the priests (21-22).

7 ) A discussion of holy days and feasts (23-24). Included in
this section are the Sabbath, Passover, the feasts of first
fruits and harvest, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement and the
feast of Tabernacles.

8 ) The Sabbatical and Jubilee Years (ch. 25).

9 ) Promises and threats connected with obedience to the laws
(ch. 26).

10) An appendix containing the laws concerning vows (ch. 27).

Quick Reference MapMap of the Possible Route of the Exodus
(Click to Enlarge)

Many Thanks to The British Museum, The Louvre, The Oriental Institute, Dr. Amihai Mazar, Dr. Dan Bahat, Dr. Craig Johnson, Yaacov Kuc, Chuck Smith, Jim Darden, Ron Haaland, The Translators of the KJV, and many others including Jesus, the Word of God.